Eye See You: Jack Black Eye Balm De-Puffing & Cooling Gel review

The American brand Jack Black, founded in the year 2000 and sold in Sephora stores across Canada, is recognizable for its striking dark blue aesthetic and skincare products that are marketed to and designed especially for men. While I don’t believe that women can’t or shouldn’t use their products, I think it is important that men have their own dedicated section in the beauty industry. After all, just because we have different sex chromosomes, doesn’t mean we should forget about our skin!

The good folks at 1 Milk 2 Sugars PR were kind enough to send me Jack Black’s newest release to try and review. As always, my opinions are 100% honest, and you’ll find my full thoughts in my empties series when I finish the tube.

Claims & Key Ingredients:

The Jack Black Eye Balm claims to energize and refresh tired-looking eyes. Additionally, it will help hydrate, soothe, brighten, soften, nourish, and reduce the look of puffiness. Basically, it claims to do it all minus actively anti-age the skin around the eyes. The method of application is the standard massaging around the orbital bone, avoiding the eyelid.

If you’re familiar with the now-discontinued Jack Black Eye Balm Age Minimizing Gel formula, this has the same ingredients. Really beneficial to hydration will be the glycerin, sodium hyaluronate, and panthenol. It contains retinyl palmitate (a form of vitamin A), tocopheryl acetate (a form of vitamin E), and L-ascorbic acid (a form of vitamin C) that act as antioxidants in addition to grape extract, certified organic edelweiss, white genepì extract, and summer lilac extract. For the de-puffing and cooling it contains anti-inflammatory cornflower extract, chamomile extract and its derivative guaiazulene, masterwort leaf extract, and calendula extract. The final three ingredients are low- to medium-risk preservatives and a dissolving agent. Overall, pretty clean and natural! The product will retail at $29*, which is a phenomenal price for the quality.

Packaging:

This product arrives wrapped in plastic with no excess external packaging. You have all the ingredients and expiration date listed right on the tube, which is a huge plus for me. Lost points, however, for not being recyclable. The main selling point for the packaging is the three small stainless-steel rollerball applicators, intended to massage and cool on contact with the skin while helping to deliver the product. In my experience it is best to hold the tube completely even as you squeeze it so that the product doesn’t pile in one of the rollerballs instead of equally across the three.

I thought it was worth mentioning that the metal applicator is not a new innovation by any means, although focusing on how the product is applied in addition to what is in it is a commendable effort on behalf of Jack Black. Similarly to Lancôme’s Advanced Génifique Yeux Light-Pearl ($89*), which features a swirling, dippable metal pod, and products from brands like YSL, Clinique, and Dr. Brandt, the rollerball approach in this case is flawed in that it cannot be sanitized and can potentially introduce contaminants into the product, which therefore looses a certain advantage that Jack Black has enjoyed for years with one of its cult-favorite products, the Moisture Therapy Lip Balm SPF 25 ($10.50*), which is incredibly popular with makeup artists because it is easy to clean and share. I know that average consumers will probably not be terribly turned off by not being able to share their Eye Balm, however it was something that occurred to me and I thought it was interesting. I would love to see a flat-edged metal applicator like those of Guerlain or First Aid Beauty instead, which actually can be cleaned in addition to delivering de-puffing benefits.

Performance:

Right off the bat, I like the rollerballs in practice way more than in theory – a lot more. I used them after cleansing in the morning and after a hot shower in the evening, and found them always cold to the touch and invigorating. The act of massaging the product in with them was highly relaxing, and I found myself looking forward to applying my eye cream! The product itself was indeed odorless and colorless, and never felt sticky or tacky. While it didn’t do a ton for hydration, it effectively eliminated some under-eye texture I was dealing with. My skin felt a lot smoother and refreshed.

Despite the minor issues I initially foresaw, the Eye Balm proved to be a formidable eye cream for everyday use. I would recommend in to those men (and women!) who are looking for preventative anti-aging and de-puffing of the eyes area. I could also probably see myself purchasing this again in the future! I’m a little thrown off by the name, because the light consistency is definitely more gel than balm, but I think that the company made the right choice by eliminating the anti-aging claims from the old product.

Big thank you once again to Karine and Jack Black for their generosity, I look forward to seeing this product launch in stores in the near future. Reader: are there any Jack Black products you’ve tried and loved? Let me know in the comments! Remember that a free Jack Black gift set is available to all Sephora Beauty Insider members on their birthday month online this year.

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